Antonelli on pole but improving F1 rivals give championship jolt of electricity it needed

It is true that Mercedes have delayed their own big upgrade package until the next race in Canada, so perhaps they will reassert themselves there. But the unmistakable impression from this weekend so far is that their rivals have done an excellent job of closing the gap.

Mercedes, remember, finished top of every single competitive session at the first three races of the season as Antonelli and Russell surged into a commanding lead in the drivers’ championship.

F1’s enforced five-week break, because of those cancelled races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, could come back to haunt Toto Wolff’s team. Not only did Mercedes lose out on likely race wins in the Middle East while they had the wind in their sails, the break allowed their rivals to go away and make big gains. McLaren, Ferrari and, perhaps most impressively of all, Red Bull – who looked completely off the boil in the first three races of the season – all arrived in Miami this week with major upgrade packages.

Norris and Piastri looked comfortable in the sprint race, their biggest challenge coming from Ferrari’s Leclerc. But it was a forgettable one for Mercedes.

After a minute’s silence on the grid for former F1 driver Alex Zanardi, who has sadly died aged 59, the race began with Antonelli getting bogged down again from P2.

The teenager, who has had trouble with his starts this year, was immediately passed by Piastri and Leclerc, and although he managed to fend off a challenge from his team-mate Russell, he ended up P6 after being given a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits.

Antonelli bounced back well in qualifying, producing a scorching lap on his first attempt in Q3, which could not be beaten. “That’s the best lap of the weekend,” commented former driver Jolyon Palmer. “It’s quicker than Norris yesterday, and the track seemed to be in better nick with less wind yesterday. He [Antonelli] has done a huge amount of heavy lifting towards this pole position.”

It was the Italian’s third pole in three races and it should be noted he has gone on to win the other two. But he has not had Verstappen alongside him on the front row before. Plus, it may well be the first outing for these new cars in wet weather.

It could well be a wet and wild race, with the big four teams all hoping to make the most of the opportunity. Even Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who ostensibly had the worst days, and who will start P5 and P6, have legitimate shouts.

Verstappen will certainly be licking his lips. The Dutchman has cut a frustrated figure so far this year, hitting out at the cars, the rules, the sport in general. After this performance, he was talking about seeing “light at the end of the tunnel”.

“For me it has been two things,” said Verstappen. “For sure the car hasn’t been great but also I wasn’t comfortable with the layout of the car. Now I feel more in control of the car again and I can push again. To be on the front row is way better than I expected heading into the weekend.

“So many things were not working up until this weekend. Also a few things for me, I don’t feel like I’m a passenger any more in the car. I feel more confident.

“To be on the front row, coming from over a second behind at the previous race, is incredible.”

Antonelli admitted it was a “surprise” to have Verstappen alongside him on the front row, but said he was not surprised to see the progress Mercedes’ rivals have made in the last five weeks.

“It’s the first year of these new regulations and it’s going to be a development fight – who can bring the most potent upgrades will win,” he said. “We didn’t expect to see Max up there, that’s a surprise. But on our side, we’ve been struggling a bit more this weekend than usual.”

[Source: Daily Telegraph]